SEATTLE - Washington Rowing, along with Windermere Real Estate, welcomes the German men's and women's national teams, the Boston University men and the UCLA women to the 33rd annual Windermere Cup, scheduled for Saturday, May 4, 2019.
 
The annual spring rowing event on the Montlake Cut is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which signals the beginning of boating season in Seattle. The entire event is a joint effort between Washington Rowing, the Seattle Yacht Club and Windermere Real Estate, with Windermere serving as the title sponsor of the main racing event.
 
"We hope everyone will join us on May 4 for Windermere Cup and Opening Day, which has grown into one of the largest free community events in Seattle," said OB Jacobi, President of Windermere Real Estate. "With thousands of competitors and spectators coming together at such a spectacular venue, it's a celebration unlike anything else."
 
The German teams (the men row out of the elite training center in Dortmund as Deutschland Achter), will be making their first-ever appearance at Windermere Cup, which has previously hosted national teams from more than 15 nations in its 32-year history. BU will be making its second appearance in the regatta, having rowed in the 1993 event, while the UCLA women will also be making a second trip to Opening Day, having last appeared in the Windermere Cup in 2004.
 
As a nation, Germany currently sits among the world powers in rowing. The men's team holds the world best time in the men's eight (5:18.680, set at a 2017 World Cup event) and won the 2017 and 2018 World Championships in that event, having taken the silver at the 2016 Olympic Games. The German men have also finished in the top five in the men's eight at the last three Under-23 World Championships. Last summer, a U.S. eight that included six Huskies (four of whom are on the 2019 roster) won the U-23 men's eight gold medal, with Germany finishing fourth in the A final.
 
Germany's women have established one of the top sculling programs in the world. Additionally, German entries have rowed in the A final in the eight at the last three Under-23 World Championships, and won the women's quadruple sculls at the 2018 World Championships, having won silver in that event at the 2016 Olympics.
 
Washington's men's and women's rosters each include three Germans. Klara Grube, Calina Schanze and Tabea Schendekehl have all rowed for their country at the junior and/or under-23 level. Schanze and Schendekehl won bronze in the women's four at 2017 Under-23 Worlds, while Schendekehl also won a silver medal in the eight at 2016 Junior Worlds.
 
The 2019 UW men's roster includes Philipp Nonnast, Sebastian Ritter, Alexander Vollmer, Nils Vorberg and Max Schwartzkopff. Both Nonnast and Vollmer rowed for their country at the 2017 Under-23 World Championships, while Nonnast also competed at the 2015 Under-23 regatta. Vosberg and Schwartzkopff, both freshmen at UW, have rowed at the U-23 and Junior levels, respectively.
 
"Germany is without a doubt among those at the top of the international scene right now," said UW men's head coach Michael Callahan. "It's going to be a terrific challenge for our program and it should be a great race."
 
"Every year, Windermere Cup offers our team a chance to square off against great competition in the best setting in college rowing," UW women's head coach Yasmin Farooq added. "We're really looking forward to it."
 
Boston University is consistently among the nation's top-10 men's programs. Last year, the Terriers finished eighth in the Ten Eyck Trophy (overall points at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship regatta) standings, and finished 10th in the men's eight.
 
UCLA's women finished sixth at the Pac-12 Championships each of the last three seasons. The Bruins have participated in four of the last nine NCAA Championship regattas, with a top finish of eighth in the nation, in 2012.
 
The Husky men have won seven of the last 11 Intercollegiate Rowing Association varsity eight national titles, while also winning the Ten Eyck 11 of the last 12 years. Washington's women finished second at the 2018 NCAA Championships, winning the second varsity eight final, after having swept the 2017 NCAA regatta for the first time in the event's history.
 
Washington's women open the 2018 season against USC at Lake Las Vegas on March 2, while both teams will host the 118th Class Day Regatta on March 23, the first action of the spring for the men's team.
 
Windermere Cup History & Information
The Windermere Cup got its start 32 years ago, in 1987, when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community.
 
Washington's men have won the Windermere Cup 24 times in 32 seasons, while the UW women have also won 23 out of 32.
 
The 2019 Windermere Cup will include a number of events during the week leading up to race day. The Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade through the Montlake Cut will immediately follow the racing. Further details will be announced at a later date. For more information visit windermerecup.com.